Ugh, it's almost time for me to go back to class. Finally though, I managed to get this done. The idea had been in my head for a while, now I can give it life.
Disclaimer: Wolf doesn't own anything related to Blue Exorcist or Fairy Tail.
Chapter 1: Compassion of the Fairies
No one realized it, but Rin was actually an emotionally fragile person. Everyone thought he was strong, that he would just laugh it off or get angry if he really couldn't take it. In reality, he was just as emotionally vulnerable as anybody else. It just took a lot to reach his limit.
And now, he'd hit that limit. Too much had happened in a short period of time. One minute, he was in the forest on a training assignment, laughing with his friends around the campfire. The next, his friends had found out his secret, and they hadn't taken it well.
He had finally known what it was like to have friends, and he was happy. Now, he had lost that. And the loneliness hurt ten times worse than it had before. It was like he was drowning or suffocating, and either no one was seeing it or they just didn't care.
Rin didn't quite remember when he got back to his room. He remembered leaving to find the Exwires. He had gotten into a fight with Suguro, and words had been said. Words that had really hurt. He remembered Yukio coming in and stopping the fight. After that was a blur, he must have finally lost his cool and ran back to his dorm.
He vaguely remembered people, probably Yukio, Shura, or both of them, knocking on his door, trying to get him to open up. Eventually it stopped, and he was left alone. At some point Rin had gotten up from where he was sitting in front of his door and moved over to his bed.
He laid down and the dam burst. He started crying and he couldn't stop. The last time he remembered crying this hard was when his father died. At some point he knew Kuro was there, too. By then, he didn't care.
Eventually, the tears slowed and he fell asleep. It was a restless sleep, but at least he had calmed down. When he woke up again, it was already dark out. He looked around and noticed that Kuro was asleep next to him and Yukio wasn't there.
Taking a deep breath, Rin decides to go for a walk. He needed to get some air to think. Getting up, he slung Kurikara over his shoulder and looked for his shoes and jacket. The movement must have 'roused Kuro, because the Cait Sith got up and walked over to him.
"Rin, where are you going?"
"For a walk, I just need to get some air."
"Are you sure you don't just need more sleep?" Kuro asked, thinking Rin sounded tired. "I know you slept most of the day, but still sound tired."
Rin looked over at his familiar and smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "No, I think I need some air. I've been cooped up in here all day, I need to go outside."
Kuro hesitated but then asked, "Can I go with you?"
Rin stopped, the nodded. "Okay."
Kuro climbed up on Rin's shoulder and they headed out. He didn't leave a note for Yukio, his brother probably wasn't going to be back until morning.
The duo walked for a while, just taking random directions. It was a full moon that night, so there was light to see. They kept going until they came across a park area, with some benches and a small lake. Rin sat down on one of benches while Kuro went to explore.
Now that he was outside, the night air was helping him calm down. It was cool and soothing, and there was a gentle breeze. This was a nice spot, he'd have to remember this place if he ever needed time to himself again.
At that thought, Rin became somber again, knowing that was going to be happening a lot. Now that everyone was avoiding him. He should have known this would happen if the secret got out.
"Rin?" Said person looks up to see Kuro sitting in front of him. "Are you okay?"
Rin sighed before he shook his head. "No, not really."
"Is it about what happened in the forest?"
"More like what happened afterward."
"Oh."
Rin looked down at his hands, which were clasped in his lap, his bangs falling over his eyes. "I just don't get why it hurts so much. I've been alone before, but this time it feels even worse."
"You still have Yukio." Kuro pointed out, trying to cheer him up.
"That's just it, though. Lately, Yukio doesn't even act like my brother anymore. It's like we're complete strangers now," Rin confessed, his body beginning to shake from emotion. "He doesn't say it, but I know he blames me for our dad's death."
'And deep down, maybe I also blame myself.' He added silently, starting to cry again.
Kuro wasn't sure what to say to comfort his master, but before he could say anything he felt a strange wave of power. Rin must have sensed it, too, because he stopped crying and jumped to his feet. He had his sword at his side, left hand on the hilt.
"Rin, did you feel that?!"
"Yeah, I felt that." He whispered.
They looked around, they felt the energy yet they were the only ones there. Suddenly, the area around them was lit up by a bright, golden light, brighter than the moonlight.
By this point, Kuro freaked out and jumped into Rin's arms. "Rin! Something's happening! I'm scared!"
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." He tried to reassure his familiar, but even he was panicking inside.
The light was slowly getting brighter, to the point where the duo had to shut their eyes. Rin couldn't see what was going on, but it felt like something was trying to tug him along, trying to lead him somewhere.
As quickly as it came, the light faded. Everything was quiet and still. However, Rin and Kuro weren't there anymore.
Earthland, Continent of Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Forest south of Magnolia
Cutting through a forest, because there was a shortcut back to Magnolia Town, was a group consisting of two boys, a girl, and strange cat.
The first boy's name was Natsu Dragneel. Natsu was a lean, muscular young man of average height with a slightly tan skin tone, black eyes, spiky pink-colored hair, and has abnormal sharp canines. He had red mark below his right shoulder, which was his guild mark, signalling he was apart of a guild for wizards. His outfit consisted of a sleeveless, gold trimmed, black waistcoat, often left open and untucked, exposing his bare chest, a gold trimmed, black cloth around his waist that reaches his knees, held by a leather brown belt with an oval-shaped silver buckle, white knee-length trousers with black ribbon ties, a thick black wristband on his left wrist, black open-toed sandals, and a white scale-patterned scarf.
The next boy was Gray Fullbuster. His most prominent feature is his spiky black-colored hair. He has dark blue eyes, and his body was toned and muscular. It couldn't be seen under his shirt, but his guild mark was below his collarbone on his right pectoral muscle and dark blue in color. He doesn't have a consistent look, aside from a necklace he always wears which was under his shirt.
The girl's name was Lucy, a new member of their guild. Lucy had brown eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that was tied by a red ribbon in a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest of her hair loose. She's considered buxom and has a curvaceous body. Her pink guild mark was located on the back of her right hand. Like Gray, she doesn't wear the same outfit all the time, but she always wears a belt that has a pouch on one side and a holder with a whip on the other.
Finally there was the cat, Happy. Happy's blue with a white stomach. He has pink ears, big black eyes with small, thin eyebrows, and light blue cheek marks near to his tiny whiskers. He has a long, blue, white-tipped tail. Unlike regular cats, Happy can walk on two legs and can talk. He has a green backpack, where he keeps food and items that can be used in battle. This backpack also covers his green guild mark that was on his back.
All four were part of a magic guild called Fairy Tail, the most popular and sometimes destructive guild. Lucy was the recent recruit while the boys and Happy had been at Fairy Tail most of their lives. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had just finished a job and were on their way home when they ran into Gray, who was going the same.
After they filled each other in, they were about to get moving again when suddenly there was bright light behind them.
"What's going on?!" Lucy asked, surprised.
Natsu and Gray both got into fighting stances while Happy hid behind Lucy.
When the light died down, the group saw a boy around their age lying unconscious in front of them. He had messy, jet-black hair that sweeped down on his pale skin. He had slightly pointed ears and since his mouth was slightly open, they could see that he had sharp teeth like Natsu. What really caught their attention about his appearance was the long, black, fur-tufted tail sticking out of his back. As far as clothes went, he was wearing some kind of uniform, that consisted of a white shirt, a loose necktie, a black jacket, black pants, and black dress shoes. He also seemed to be carrying a sword in a red sleeve with a cross-body black strap on his back.
Next to him, also unconscious was a strange looking cat. It had black fur with two tails and small horns on its head. The lower half of its face was covered with chocolate-brown fur, which sloped upward between its eyes, while its chest fur was white. There was also a ring of white fur on its upper right leg.
"Who the heck is that?" Natsu asked, not letting his guard down.
A groan from the human (?) told them that he was waking up. Sure enough, he opened his eyes, revealing they were intense blue ones, sat up, and looked around.
"Where am I?" He asked, looking disoriented.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, taking a step closer.
Rin turned to the voice and saw two boys and a girl looking at him. "Who are you?"
"That's what we were about to ask." Gray said.
The newcomer looked at them a moment before answering. "Rin Okumura."
"I'm Lucy, and this Natsu, Gray, and Happy," The blond explained, gesturing to her guildmates. "We're from the Fairy Tail guild."
Rin blinked, confused. "What's a guild?"
There was a long silence before the Natsu, Lucy, and Happy gave a loud cry of, "WHAT?!"
"How do you not know what a guild is?!" Lucy asked, exasperated.
"Calm down, guys," Gray said, getting hold of the situation. "He might be from a continent where they don't have guilds."
"What do you mean, Gray?" Happy looked at him.
"Oh, yeah, I read about that," Lucy understood. "There are some parts of the world where magic isn't practiced regularly, so they don't have guilds."
She dug into her bag and pulled out a map, showing it to Rin. "Do you see your continent?"
Rin looked at the map for a good few minutes before shaking his head. "No, I don't see Japan on here anywhere."
"Well, do you know how to get back?" Lucy asked, determined to help.
When Rin shook his head, Natsu spoke up. "Then why don't you come with us to Fairy Tail?"
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's cool, we don't turn our backs on anyone." Natsu smiled.
"Plus, the Master might be able to help you figure out how to get home." Gray added.
Rin went silent for a moment, thinking the situation over. Knowing he didn't have anywhere else to go, he nodded, agreeing to go.
"Alright, now let's get moving!" Natsu said, ready to go.
However, before they could move, Rin sensed a presence behind them. Before he could react though, everyone was caught in an explosion. When everything calmed down and the dust cleared, the group found themselves in a small crater full of sand.
Rin bounced back quickly, shaking off the sand and getting up. "Everyone okay?"
Lucy's only response was a cough.
"What now?" Gray groaned, buried up to his chest in sand.
"Happy!" Natsu cried, sand spilling out of his mouth.
Realizing the blue cat was gone, Rin then remembered his own cat. "Oh no, Kuro!"
Said cats were currently tied up by their paws on a stick over a pile of wood meant for a fire. They were surrounded by another group of wizards that consisted of a goblin like creature, a pair of twins, a guy with orb, and an oversized chicken. They all looked really hungry, understandable since they had been out in the woods for several days.
"We're finally going to get some real protein." One twin drooled.
"No berries for us tonight." The other twin added.
"Meat!" The chicken man squawked.
"Our future holds a feast." The other male said.
This whole situation had Happy shaking, which didn't go unnoticed.
"Wow…"
"Look at him shaking. Geez." The twins spoke, finishing each other's sentence.
"Relax. You're gonna be in our bellies soon enough, so there's no reason to be scared." The goblin said.
"Actually, I'm not shaking like this because I'm scared," Happy admitted, making the goblin glare at him. "I gotta use the bathroom really bad."
This made the other wizards look at him funny. "I can't hold it much longer. And I betcha it's gonna make me taste weird."
"Who cares," The goblin responded, not buying it, before looking to the chicken. "Now cook him."
"Meat." It responded, activating a staff that seemed to use fire magic.
"I'll take mine medium, please." The guy with the orb requested.
Before anyone else could say anything, there was a poof of smoke and force that sent them all back a few feet. The wood flew in different directions. When the smoke cleared, they found a very awake, angry, and bigger Kuro, green eyes blazing.
"What's the big idea?!" Kuro demanded, even though he knew they couldn't understand him. "And what's going on here?!"
"Holy-!"
"What is that?!" The twins gasped.
"Who cares?! We take it down and we'll have more to eat!" The goblin responded.
"I'd like to see you try!" Kuro growled, ready for a fight.
"Hold it right there!"
"Kuro!"
Everyone turned to the ridge behind them and saw a certain three wizards and an exorcist standing there.
"Happy!" Lucy called down.
"Thank goodness!" Happy cried from the tree had gotten stuck in. "Now I'm not gonna taste weird!"
"Pipe down!" The goblin snapped.
"Kuro, are you alright?" Rin yelled to the cat sith.
"Rin! These guys tried to eat!" Kuro called up to him
"No kidding. What does demon cat taste like?"
"That's not funny!" The demon cat freaked out.
Lucy looked over at him, since it looked like he was talking to the creature down there, but the others ignored it.
"That's our friend you're trying to roast, buddy! Sorry, but you guys are going to have to make other plans for dinner!" Natsu said, cracking his knuckles.
"You're all wizards, aren't you? What guild are you with?" Gray asked.
"I'm not tellin'," The goblin sneered, before the other four lept into action. "Get 'em!"
"Gray, let's do it." Natsu said, ready for a fight.
"Alright, but don't go telling me what to do." Gray responded.
"You got room for one more?" Rin asked, smirking.
Natsu returned the smirk. "Sure you're up for it?"
"Worry about yourself, man, I know how to fight back."
"Alright, just follow our lead." Gray nodded.
That was when all three sprang into action. Natsu dodged an attack from the twins, who were each wielding a sai, and Gray and Rin dodged the chicken man.
"Sand Bomb, go!" When Natsu went to attack the goblin, he cast a spell the trapped the Dragon Slayer in a sphere of sand.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried.
"He's fine!" Gray reassured. "Go and help Happy!"
"Right!"
The twins came back for a second round with Gray, but he managed to take them down easily. Meanwhile, Lucy managed to get to Happy where he had been thrown in the chaos.
"Help! Lucy's gonna eat me!" He cried as she tried to untie him.
"Shut up, cat!" She snapped at him.
However, they were soon confronted by the chicken man. He gave an angry squawk and held his staff up threateningly.
"Please don't kill me, Mr. Chicken!" Lucy screamed.
Thankfully, she and Happy got the chance to escape when Rin jumped in and took him down with a kick. A few feet away, Gray was squaring off with the guy with the orb, waiting for him to try something.
"I see someone special, but the stars point to great trouble with water and women." He said.
"You tellin' my fortune?" Gray asked, annoyed.
"You're kidding, right?" Rin sweat dropped.
That was when Gray decided to just end it by elbowing him in the face.
"He's not using magic," Lucy breathed, amazed by his strength. "Wow."
"Why is he in his underwear?" Rin suddenly asked, noticing that Gray was now in just his boxers.
"Put some clothes on!" Lucy cried.
"Crap!" Gray cursed.
"Where'd these brats come from anyway?" The goblin wondered aloud.
That moment of distraction was when Natsu burst out of the sand ball with a blaze of fire.
"Uh oh." He said as Natsu landed in front of him.
"Jerk! Now I've got mouth full of sand and it's all 'cause of you." The pinkette growled, spitting out some sand.
Natsu then brought his fists together and summoned his fire. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
His hand was engulfed in flames and then he punched the goblin hard enough to cause an explosion.
"Wow." Rin breathed, amazed by how Natsu used his flames.
Once the dust cleared, see how everyone was down, they tied the nefarious five to a tree to keep them from running off.
Now, Rin finally had the chance to go check on his familiar. "Hey, Kuro, you alright?"
"I'm fine." Kuro assured his master, changing back into his small form and jumping into his arms.
"Don't ya think you might have gone overboard, Natsu?" Gray asked.
"So what if I did, I got the job done, right?" The fire user argued.
"Grow up already! You're an embarrassment to the guild!"
"What? Shut up!"
"These two remind me of you and Suguro when you guys fight." Kuro commented, having taken his usual spot on Rin's shoulder.
"Were we really this bad?" The half-demon wondered.
"Lulla-"
"Huh?" Rin glanced over at the goblin, thinking he said something.
Lucy must have heard it too, because she crouched down in front of him to hear a little better. "What's lulla?"
"Lullaby…"
This got the attention of the bickering duo, because they stopped arguing for five minutes to hear what was up.
"Huh?"
"Lullaby?"
Before anyone could ask for details, they were surprise attacked again. This time they seemed to be knocked down by moving shadows. Rin was able to dodge the attack, but the others weren't so lucky.
"Watch out!" He called.
"Incoming!" Happy added.
However, it seemed whoever or whatever it was wasn't interested in them. Before the group could regain themselves, the shadows grabbed the rogue wizards and pulled them in, along with part of the tree. With that, they were gone.
"What was that?" Lucy asked.
"Who was that?" Natsu added.
"Well, whoever it was, their fast," Gray said, getting up. "I can't even sense their presence anymore."
"But what could this mean?" Natsu wondered.
"Lullaby…" Lucy repeated what one of the wizards had said, thinking it was important.
Rin and Kuro looked at each other and then off in the direction everyone else was staring at. Regardless of how they got there, Rin had a feeling this was probably going to be the start of something new.
Well that's the first chapter. For those who aren't sure where this is starting, it's taking place after the forest training incident in Blue Exorcist and right before the Lullaby Arc in Fairy Tail. Rin's going to be in for a heck of a ride.